


Meet The Ghouls

by devils_church



Category: Ghost (Swedish Band)
Genre: Aether is sexual, Cardi C dont know what the fuck he’s doing, Fire is a MESS, He mocks Earth, Multi is into Cardi C, Sister Imperator is done with everything, Water flirts with him, the ghulehs are dating and Air is deaf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 06:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14806157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devils_church/pseuds/devils_church
Summary: Ever wonder how the Cardinal chose the new lineup? Well, ponder no more. This is how it came to be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This shit is a joke.

## 1\. Earth

To be honest, the Cardinal didn't know what to expect when he called in the first ghoul. He didn't know their gender, name, age, anything. They were just... a ghoul. Nothing more nothing less. 

He was looking to form a band. A band with a better lineup than the last one. He needed this. Fuck, _the church_ needed this. Things had been so heavy and under the weather with every bout of drama that came their way and Cardinal wanted to change that. 

Mostly because it was depressing him and he swore his grucifix wasn't shining as brightly as it once had, which bothered him, so he was destined to fix it. 

"Cardinal?" Sister Imperator said as she peaked the door open. The leader looked up from the intense crossword puzzle he was attempting to complete and was met with her smile. "Your first interviewee is here."

"Oh! Cool, bring him in," the Cardinal said as he unceremoniously tossed the puzzle book to the floor. He didn't care to be tidy. Someone else could clean up his mess. That's what servants were for. 

After Sister Imperator moved to the side, the Cardinal was introduced to a tall... very, very tall... lanky, skinny ghoul. For a moment, he blinked and didn't even attempt to stand up. If he felt tiny while sitting in his chair then he knew he wouldn't feel much taller if he stood up. 

Since when did they have fucking _giants_ in the church? Christ. He knew nothing. 

"Uh... Have a seat. Did you bring your resumé?" The Cardinal asked as he looked the ghoul up and down and motioned to the chair. "And... is– is... W– will that chair be big enough for you?"

"Yes, sir," he said in an accent that surprised the Cardinal. 

What _the fuck_ was that?

"Ah! You are not from around here, no?" The Cardinal chuckled and took the resumé that was held out to him. The ghoul took a seat across from Cardinal and waited as he scanned over the details that he had provided. 

Honestly, this ghoul had nothing better to do. Of course getting laid was his thing since the Sisters seemed to have a thing for his legs which were way too _fucking_ long, but still. Even that was getting boring. He knew he had some talent, so hey, trying out for this band may be what he needed. 

He didn't know, though. He didn't know a damn thing and he couldn't be assed to care. 

"You're from Australia! That's fun!" Cardinal said suddenly as he looked up at the ghoul. 

"Yeah, I am. The church is a bit far from home, but—"

"'Ello, mate! Would ya' like some shrimp on the barbie?!" The Australian accent he put on was... nothing short of awful. Visibly, the ghoul cringed in his seat and recanted back away from him, the sound of his terrible faux accent enough to make him groan when he carried on, " _Alley-gators _! Steve Irwin! Sydney Opera House! Oh, wait, wait, I have a better one–!"__

__"I– Sir, it isn't necessary, I've–"_ _

__"' _42 Wallaby Way, Sydney_ '!"_ _

__"Oh... for the love of Christ..."_ _

__"' _Fish are friends, not food_ '!"_ _

__"Sir, I think I should just go—"_ _

__"No, stay! Stay, please," Cardinal said, snapping back to his normal voice within a second. The ghoul gave him a look of disgust beneath his mask and relaxed in his seat again, even though he wanted to bolt out of the office and go back to the countless women he left in his bed._ _

__How _the fuck_ did this Plaguebringer know what the hell ' _Nemo_ ' was anyway? For the love of fuck, this idiot was old. _ _

__"So, uh... Australian Ghoul," Cardinal said as he set down his resumé without bothering to look it over furthermore, "What are your talents? I can imagine you're good at surfing and grilling. Since you're from Australia."_ _

__"That seems... it seems like you're stereotyping me because I'm from Australia, but—"_ _

__"Oh! Oh, no, no, no, I don't discriminate. I'm not racist."_ _

__The ghoul just. Blinked at him. And wondered if he had actually said that._ _

__Because that did not make any fucking sense whatsoever._ _

__"I... you can't be racist towards me... we're both white."_ _

__"I thought Australians were different?"_ _

__"No, you know, I don't think so."_ _

__"Really?"_ _

__"Yep."_ _

__"Ah, well. Anyway. For the record, I am not racist nor will I ever be. I love my ghouls of color and my sisters of color," Cardinal said as he turned his chair to kick his feet up onto his desk. The ghoul just nodded and slowly raised his eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. The Cardinal grabbed a toothpick and began picking at his teeth, which the ghoul chose not to watch, then spoke as he did so, "My GOCs and my SOCs. You're all equal to me."_ _

__"Well, that's brilliant, Sir. Anyway... Back to my talents. I'm a very good drummer, I've been playing since I was a child," he explained in a polite tone that he had to use most of his strength to conjure up._ _

__"How long ago was that?" The Cardinal asked as he tapped the end of the toothpick against his lips. The ghoul stiffened as he felt the leader look him up and down where he sat, then relaxed again when he looked away. "You're very tall. I'm guessing you're fully grown."_ _

___No shit, you fucking dumbass._ _ _

__"Yep. Yes, Sir, I am," the ghoul mumbled lowly, "I'm actually—"_ _

__"Don't tell me your age! I don't care to know."_ _

__"Oh. Alright."_ _

__"...You're in."_ _

__The ghoul paused. He was what? What just happened?_ _

__What the fuck?_ _

__"I'm... I'm what– I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He asked with shock present in his tone and in his posture._ _

__"You're in," the Cardinal said as he shrugged. Flicking the toothpick onto the floor, probably somewhere near his puzzle book, he grabbed the stamp from off his desk and with a loud bang– one loud enough to make the ghoul jump in his seat– he stamped the ghoul's resumé. Holding it out to him, he nodded once and gave him a thumbs ups with his free hand. "Congratulations, my ghoul. You will be Earth."_ _

__"Earth?" The ghoul asked with a confused tone and expression, "What does ' _Earth_ ' do?"_ _

__"You drum, of course. That's what you said you do, isn't it?"_ _

__"Yeah, but I..." The ghoul laughed softly and rubbed the side of his neck as he took the resumé back with his free hand. "Don't you want to... I don't know... hear me perform something?"_ _

__"No, I have no interest in that." Waving it off, the Cardinal leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet onto the desk again. "I just have a good feeling about you. I expect you at the church next Saturday with your equipment. You'll meet your fellow chosen ones there."_ _

__The ghoul didn't know what to do. He honestly didn't think he'd get this far, but fuck. What had he gotten himself into? What the fuck had he done?_ _

__So much for his slumber parties that were designated for sex. It looked like all he'd have time for was bracing himself to hear the Cardinal's mock Australian accent every single day. The thought made him shudder, but he smiled and nodded nonetheless as he stood up._ _

__"Well, thank you. It means a lot to me that you've—"_ _

__"Close the door on your way out and send the next person in. Then show Sister Imperator that I've selected you for this. She'll have you fitted for your clothing," Cardinal interrupted carelessly. He had already looked away and was fetching his puzzle book off the floor without paying much attention to a Earth._ _

__"Oh... Y– Yes, Sir, will do."_ _

__With that, Earth left the room as he blinked cluelessly._ _

__This was weird. He didn't know how to feel about this._ _

__Too late now. He was now in a band with the Cardinal._ _


	2. 2. Water

## 2\. Water

"Did you decorate this office yourself? It's incredible."

"I did, I did. Thank you for noticing. No one ever pays attention to detail."

"Well, if you have me in your band, I can _assure_ you that I'll be one to pay close attention to detail." Beaming a smile at the Cardinal, the ghoul placed his resumé on the leader's desk then reached out his hand towards him. "Pleasure to meet you, Sir. I'm here to interview for a position in your band."

The Cardinal couldn't help but smirk from the ghoul's polite and bold attitude. He firmly grasped his hand and gave it a good shake before he let go to grab the resumé, sliding it to him as he spoke, "Yes, very good to meet you, too. Now... I must say, this resumé seems fairly thick. You must be a hardworking ghoul, hm?"

"Oh, I'd like to think so, Sir. I do enjoy doing things to perfection," he said as he sat up straight. 

His posture was almost as dorky and professional as he seemed, even though he was giving the Cardinal a flirtatious vibe as well. He wanted to test that out, if the ghoul didn't beat him to it first. 

Flipping through the countless pages full of information that he honestly didn't give a fuck about, he hummed as if he was retaining what had been said. The ghoul seemed pleased from the attention he was receiving and spoke boldly to break the silence, "As you've probably already seen, one of my talents is running 5K's."

"Oh..?" The Cardinal hummed softly, "That's... interesting."

_Who the fuck runs 5K's? Weird ass bitch..._

"Perhaps you should walk one with me. You have the fit for it, Sir. You're very... limber," he said smoothly. 

_That_ earned the leader's interest. 

Looking up, he closed the resumé and leaned back in his seat, allowing his eyes to run over the body of the ghoul in front of him curiously. "Am I? I never care to notice." That's a damn lie. "I'm glad you think so, though."

"Oh, Sir, everyone thinks that. You're a very handsome man, I must say– Even more so now that we're face to face." Chuckling, the ghoul smirked and tugged at the collar of his button up dress shirt playfully. "In all honesty, Sir, I'd be lying if I said I weren't intimidated by your good looks."

The Cardinal didn't realize it, but he was blushing and smirking at the ghoul in front of him. None of the other interviewees had flattered him like that. This ghoul was lively and bold, which is something that would be needed in the band. 

"Well, you know... Not all of us can prize winners," the leader said with a chuckle, "If I were able to see your face, I'd be willing to bet that I'd say the same to you."

The ghoul scoffed and waved his hand to dismiss the thought. "Nonsense. Anyway, about my resumé... Do you think I meet the criteria?"

"Most certainly. You're very qualified." Closing the resumé, he smiled at the ghoul and purposely spread his legs a bit as they came to rest on his desk like always. The ghoul noticed this, but didn't dare move. 

Honestly. The ghoul was desperate. The new Earth was his best friend and he was jealous of him. He wanted to be in the band. 

He was going to do whatever he had to do to get into this fucking group. He needed to be as cool as his best friend. If not, then he wouldn't get laid anymore. Earth had already gotten mad amounts of pussy upon telling people that he was chosen to be in the Cardinal's band, which left him out to dry. 

He needed that to change. He could only go so long without sex. His hand was good, but... Nothing was like what those Sisters of Sin gave him.

"Would you like me to play something for you? I brought my bass," the ghoul said, breaking the silence and pointing to the door over his shoulder, "I left it out there like Sister–"

"You play bass?" The Cardinal asked with a surprised look on his face. Based on the ghoul's attitude, he would've pegged him as a lead guitarist. Not... a _bassist_. 

But hey. That explained why this ghoul made his hips want to move. 

If you know what I mean. 

"Well... Yes, it was in the resumé," the ghoul said with a chuckle, "I'm sorry, but you _did_ say you were looking for a bassist, correct?"

"Oh, yes! I am! You are just... Hmm..."

The Cardinal looked him up and down as he turned his chair. This ghoul was nice to be around. Nice to look at. Nice to flirt with...

Probably talented. But he wasn't even really thinking about that now because he was weird and pansexual.

"If you'd like, I can play for you," the ghoul offered again with a suave smirk, "Would you like to be serenaded, Cardinal?"

"Would I..." The Cardinal scoffed and removed his feet from the desk to sit forward. He placed his elbows where his feet had been and leaned in towards the ghoul, his eyes trailing over his face as he smirked softly. "You're very pleasing, you know. I'm thinking I don't need to hear you play."

"Then I won't, Sir," the ghoul whispered, a certain flare of life in his eyes. 

It was actually trickery. But the Cardinal was too into their flirting to notice. 

He was obviously an oblivious man at times. Especially when a ghoul was flirting with him so boldly. It set something off in that power bottom mind of his.

Leaning back, the Cardinal stamped his resumé then held it out to him, winking as he said, "Well, _Water_... I look forward to working with you."

The ghoul smiled bigger then than he had all day. His plan worked. Who said flirting never got you anywhere?

"Thank you, Cardinal, this means a lot to me," Water said as he stood from the chair with his resumé in hand. Placing his free hand to his chest, he sighed a bit dramatically and spoke the same way, "You're a lifesaver. I can't wait to see you again."

"And I can't wait to see _you_ again."

"No, you."

"No, _you_."

"Oh, Cardinal, please..."

"But _you_."

"Cardinal..."

"I can't wait until practice, Water, it is going to be–"

"Cardinal," Sister snapped suddenly. The two turned and looked at her as she stood in the doorway and cleared her throat loudly, her glare immediately making Water straighten up. "The next ghoul is here if you're done with this one."

"Oh." Clearing his throat that time around, he waved Water towards her then smoothed down his suit. "Yes, I'm sorry, Sister. I'm ready."

Water bid the Cardinal a goodbye wave along with a wave, which the Cardinal returned. Meanwhile, Sister Imperator was rolling her eyes and about to shut the door. 

"Oh, wait!" The Cardinal called out to her. Stopping herself, he pointed to Water as he walked down the hall and said, "Fit him for his clothing. He's in the band now."

With a roll of her eyes, Sister Imperator nodded then shut the door, leaving the Cardinal to prepare himself for the next ghoul. 

_That desperate fuck_ , she thought, _the gays never know when to quit._


	3. 3. Aether

## 3\. Aether

Alright. This ghoul came in with a guitar and he was already playing, so obviously he was a guitarist. A damn good one at that. The Cardinal hadn't even spoken to him yet, but he didn't feel like he needed to because he was taken aback by his fingers...

His playing. He was distracted by his playing. Not his fingers. 

Even though... they looked like they'd feel nice elsewhere. 

Never mind that. He needed to get down to business. He had a band to form. 

"So you'd like to be a guitarist for the band?" The Cardinal asked as he glanced at the ghoul in front of him. 

"Very much so," the ghoul replied with a thick British accent. The Cardinal was surprised by that as well and a pleasant smile curved his lips, his eyebrows raising along with it. 

Maybe he had a thing for accents. And fingers. And guitarists. 

Or just men. He was into men. 

"Did you bring a resumé?" The Cardinal asked curiously as he looked around the ghoul to see if he had somehow brought something else in with him. 

"Oh, no. I forgot it. I jerked off right before I came in and it slipped my mind," the ghoul said outright with a shrug. 

"Ah, I've done that. No worries," The Cardinal said with a shrug, "Just the other night, I was getting off in the restroom and... I came in with a stack full of important documents– don't ask why– and I left them in there once I was done. I came back and they were gone, so..." he shrugged again, "Who knows who took them?"

"What kind of documents?" The guitarist asked as he played a bit lighter to hear the Cardinal speak. 

"Just the normal stuff. Ghoul identification information."

"What?"

"Yes. Anyway, never mind that, I'm sure it's fine." 

The ghoul thought otherwise, but didn't bring it up again. He was here for a job. For a life. Not to bust the Cardinal's ass for... being a very terrible leader for doing something like that. Clearing his throat, he sat back in his seat as he played a melody that came to mind, his eyes on the leader again. "Even though I don't have a resumé, I can tell you about myself."

The Cardinal grinned and gave a simple nod, motioning for the ghoul to carry on. "Please do. I'm curious."

"I can jerk off almost anywhere. Did in the back of a bus once. Once in my friend's closet. Another time in my mother's bed while she was sleeping in it."

"Oh... Gods, that's rancid."

"Yeah, mate, not my shining moment," the guitarist said with a chuckle, "but I think it's a nice story."

"It's a story alright," The Cardinal said under his breath, "but... I can't judge. I, uh... Heh, came... on Nihil's pillow."

"And _why_ were you in Nihil's bed?"

"Reasons." Stiffening up, the Cardinal cleared his throat and looked at the guitar. Christ, they hadn't even talked about what this ghoul wanted to do. They just focused on sexual things. He couldn't help it. The conversation felt... natural.

Not like having 'the talk' with your parents, but more like staring into your buddy's eyes while you're laying in the same bed with them and you both happen to be masturbating. 

What, you've never done that?

"Anyway, I'd like to be in the band," the ghoul said, bringing the Cardinal out of his thoughts. He looked at the ghoul as he sat there and went on, plucking a strange melody that was creepy but also comforting, "I've been playing for most of my life, but the transition to being a ghoul fucked me up a bit. My fingers were out of whack for awhile."

"Oh, I know. Very sorry about that. You'd be surprised how much that complaint comes in," the Cardinal said with a sigh. Flicking his covered fingers out in front of himself, he imagined what he'd look like with claws and immediately shuddered. How would he be able to finger himself if he had claws? He couldn't. He didn't want to think of that happening. That'd be a travesty. Shaking his head quickly, he looked at the ghoul again and dropped his hands. "Well, How are they now? Better, yes?"

"Oh, definitely. The Sisters and other ghouls like being scratched," he said with a beaming smile. 

"You must get around a lot." Flicking his eyebrows up, he smirked. "I'm looking for sexual charisma."

The ghoul chuckled and stopped playing to extend his arms then bring his shoulders up into a shrug. "I'm your guy, then, mate. I can sing, too. So... I can play guitar, sing, and I'm a good fuck."

"I wasn't doubting any of that. You seem to be a man of his word."

"I am. If you doubted me, perhaps I could show you."

The Cardinal smirked from that. Because he was a hoe. And this ghoul was cute and flirty, and he liked that too much.

And shit. He was _a lot_ bigger than him. He was thick and had muscles. He could tell just from looking at him.

But he needed to finish the interview. He knew he was going to choose him, so he really didn't know what else he was doing wasting his time like this. The ghoul had places to be, songs to play, and men and women to fuck. The Cardinal understood that. 

"I'm free on Saturday after band practice," the Cardinal said. Grabbing his stamp, he waved for the ghoul's hand and once he was granted it, marked the back of it and said, "which you'll be attending. You're in."

"Are you fuckin' serious?!" The ghoul said with a laugh, "Good Gods, thank you, mate! Shit, that means a lot to me!"

"I know, I know. Now, show that to Sister Imperator and I'll see you on Saturday at _and_ after practice." Winking at the ghoul, the Cardinal sat back and spread his legs a little just before crossing one over the other. Motioning towards the door, he gave the ghoul a smirk as he rested his jaw against his fingertips. "I look forward to seeing you, Aether."

The ghoul, now named Aether, smiled and thanked the Cardinal once more before running out of the room with a smile on his face and his guitar in his hands.

The whole interview process was pointless. But it gave the Cardinal a chance to flirt.


	4. 4. Fire

## 4\. Fire

For the love of fuck.

This bitch was a mess.

In his skinny, tiny, stick looking glory, another guitarist stumbled– literally stumbled– into the chair that was sat in front of the Cardinal's desk and nearly fell out of it in the process. The Cardinal raised his eyebrows as he watched the ghoul attempt to steady himself and once he did, he took a moment to just... look at him before doing anything else.

He was a character. Much more bashful than the other ghouls had been. Tinier, too.

And what the fuck, where was the tip of his right pinky finger?

"Well... Hello," the Cardinal said slowly as he cleared his throat. The ghoul immediately tensed up from his words and scrambled to sit up straight, which the Cardinal watched and... cringed, sort of, but didn't mention it. Instead, he cleared his throat and outstretched his hand. "I'll be needing your resumé for this, little one."

"Oh! Oh, yes, I have it!" The ghoul said as he held out his resumé. 

Which was literally on a fucking Post It note.

The Cardinal gave an uncertain hum as he looked over the scribble writing on it, blinking in complete confusion as he looked over what the ghoul wrote. Or attempted to write.

"So... your last job was being a, uh..." Clearing his throat, his eyes moved to the ghoul again as he mumbled out, "Being a good friend?"

"Yes! Yes, Sir, I'm a very good friend," the ghoul stammered as he nodded quickly. His tiny body scooted forward in the chair and his hands came to rest on the desk, as if he was eager to explain. "One time, my uncle told me that he needed to go get something in the store and made me promise to stay where I was so that I didn't wander off and I stayed! But... for some reason, he didn't come back."

"I... oh, uh–"

"He said that friends keep promises, so I kept mine!"

"Oh yes, mhm..."

"So that makes me a good friend, right?"

The Cardinal paused and just kind of looked at him. He didn't know whether to feel bad for him, get him some mental help, or allow him to cry since it seemed like he had a lot of pent up emotions and memories that he never, ever... _ever_ spoke about.

He didn't do any of that, though. He went with replying as gently as he could since he understood that he was dealing with a rather sensitive ghoul, "Yes, yes, of course. I'm sure you're a very good friend. Now... can you tell me a few things about yourself?"

"Mhm! Like what?"

"Why are you so skinny?" The Cardinal asked jokingly to lighten the mood, laughing as he did so, "Ghoul, you are like a stick! Look at you!"

The ghoul didn't want to make the Cardinal think that he wasn't funny, so he started laughing. And by laughing, I mean roaring. He slapped his hand to his knee and covered his mask with his hands as he laughed way harder than necessary– So hard in fact that the Cardinal flinched back in fear that the ghoul was going to hurt himself. 

He didn't, though. 

Because instead, he hiccuped. A tiny baby hiccup. 

"You... you hiccup," the Cardinal said with a chuckle, "That was cute."

The ghoul was blushing like mad beneath his mask. He was jittery and he knew it, but he wanted to be in the band. It would prove to his friends that he could do something. 

Besides. He didn't play guitar for the skill to be wasted. He wanted to do something with it, even though he had anxiety about literally everything under the sun. 

"Thank you, I'm sorry," he said quickly, urging the leader to move on from that, "Uh... would– would you like to hear about my other strengths?"

"Oh, yes. Go ahead. Tell me one."

"I perform well under pressure!"

"Ah, do you! Give me an example."

Fuck, he wasn't expecting that. Suddenly, his mind started churning for an answer and honestly, he didn't have one. He couldn't perform well under pressure at all. It was all too much. The question echoed around his mind and his eyes darted everywhere as he attempted to concoct a response, but he didn't have one, holy shit, he was so lost, what the fuck was going on, did he take the dishes out of the dishwasher, did he shut the oven off, did the Cardinal hate him and want him dead, did any of this make sense or–

"I'm so sorry," he said. Leaning over, he grabbed the trash can by the desk and after lifting his mask up a bit, he threw up. 

"Oh... god," the Cardinal said in disgust, his face contorting into one of distaste and one that screamed 'this shit is nasty'. Clearing his throat and looking away, he shielded his nose from the direction of the trash can and shook his head. "You know, ghoul, how about... Unholy Lord, _what_ is that _smell_? What did you eat? For fucks sake, god _damn_... Phew, anyway... Ghoul, you said you can play guitar, yes?"

Bringing his head up, the ghoul panted softly and kept the trash can by the leg of his chair as he cleared his throat, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand. He was embarrassed, but the interview was over. He had to power through. 

He could do this. Maybe. 

"Yes," he said softly, his throat sore from throwing up, "I can."

"And can you play in front of others?"

"Uh... I think so?"

"Gods, that's good enough," the Cardinal mumbled. Turning back towards the ghoul, he quickly stamped his Post It resumé and handed it to him. "You're in the band. I feel bad for you, now go... And for the sake of my nostrils, please tell Sister Imperator to bring in someone to take out this trash."

The ghoul was... shocked, to say the least. He thought he blew it. I mean, the Cardinal _did_ say that he felt bad for him, but... Hey, he was in the band! So at least he got somewhere with it!

"Oh... Th– thank you! Thank you very much!" The ghoul said as he got up and tripped over the legs of the chair, leading him to fall with a quiet thump on the floor. 

Shit, he was so light that he barely made a sound. 

"Mhm, yeah, no problem. Thank you for your time, Fire," the Cardinal said quickly with his hand waving towards the door quickly, "I'll be seeing you on Saturday for practice. Bring your guitar and please, _please_ do not throw up again... or fall."

"Will do, Sir! I mean... will don't... will do? Will don't? I'm not sure–"

"Fire, _please_ , just _go_."

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry! Goodbye, Sir!"

With that, Fire left and the Cardinal was left shaking his head for him. Poor Fire ghoul. That dude was a mess.


	5. 5. Mist and Air

## 5\. Mist and Air

"Ah! Ghulehs! It's a pleasure to meet you!" The Cardinal said as the two women walked into the room. 

One was tall and a bit lanky while the other was on the shorter side and curvy. What stood out to him though was that they were holding hands. He assumed that they were dating, which he didn't mind at all. He wasn't one to knock someone on their sexuality. 

Unless they were straight. He enjoyed roasting straight people. 

"Please, sit," he said as he motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. The ghulehs did so without saying much, but the Cardinal didn't care to think much about it. He could talk a lot if necessary. He did it anyway. So much so that Sister Imperator just ended up walking away from him mid-conversation sometimes. Clearing his throat, he smiled and leaned forward. "Did you bring your resumés with you?"

"No," the curvy one spoke up, "We don't want you to know our personal information."

The Cardinal was... surprised by that. 

How the fuck did they think this worked?

"Oh... Okay..." he said slowly. Clearing his throat, he held his own hands and rested his elbows on the desk. "Well, how about you tell me about yourselves? Will that do?"

"Sure," she responded, "We are women. We're dating. She's deaf, but I'm not so I–"

"Do you use, eh... echolocation to communicate?"

The ghuleh blinked at him then turned to her partner, lifting her hands to begin signing something to her. The Cardinal didn't understand sign language for shit so he just watched as the ghulehs communicated with each other with their hands. 

_'He just asked if we use echolocation to communicate,'_ the curvy ghuleh told her. 

The taller one giggled silently and shook her head. _'Isn't that what bats use?'_

_'Yes.'_ Turning to the Cardinal, the ghuleh held up her finger to signal for him to wait before turning to her girlfriend to sign to her again, _'He's just another dumb man, but we need this money for the brothel.'_

_'Do you think he knows about it?'_

_'No. We're okay. I'm going to talk to him again now.'_

The Cardinal watched in disbelief as the two spoke without words. He was surprised that someone could do it so effortlessly. Of course he could speak other languages, but this was different. They were using their hands.

All he could do with his hands was touch himself. Shit. He wasn't shit compared to these women.

"No, we use sign language," the ghuleh told him, "Before we became ghulehs, she lost her hearing due to an illness. I helped her learn it."

"That's very sweet," the Cardinal said as his heart clenched a little. 

God. He'd be lonely forever, wouldn't he? Flirting with ghouls was one thing, but something like that...

Before he knew it, the Cardinal was staring off into space thinking about how he'd never be in love with anyone. The ghulehs looked at each other and blinked, the lanky one deciding to take matters into her own hands– literally– by reaching out and brushing her fingers over his knuckles. 

The Cardinal snapped out of his daydream and looked at her, offering a startled smile and laugh. "Oh, forgive me. I tend to zone a lot."

The ghuleh smiled back and sat back, resting her hand on the other's thigh. Her girlfriend opted to reply for them, "It's okay. We understand. Anyway... we both play the keyboard. Piano, keytar, organ... You name it."

"Now... how does _she_ play?" He asked as he nodded towards the deaf one of the two, "I mean... how does she know if it sounds good?"

"The vibrations. She's very familiar with vibrations of many kinds." The curvy ghuleh smiled and nudged her horns to her lover's, to which she did it back. The Cardinal felt that sense of gay longing again and he despised it, but he'd live. Turning to the Cardinal again, she spoke, "She plays the keytar very well. I don't know how she does it, but... she does. She never ceases to amaze me."

"You're being too cute, it's going to kill me," The Cardinal spat out, "I am going to be lonely forever, but... that is how life works for some of us unfortunate looking people." The ghuleh tilted her head and began shaking it slowly from his unexpected comment, so the Cardinal just disregarded it and went on with the task at hand, "Anyway. Never mind that. I still need to know about other jobs you've had."

"No, thanks."

"Uh... Excuse me?"

"No. Thank you."

The Cardinal was stunned yet again. She was... bold. Very bold and private. Why was she so private? He didn't know. 

"Well, ghuleh, you _do_ know I'll need to know more about you before I sign you, correct?" He asked in a more stern tone of voice. Maybe her hearing was messed up, too. Maybe she needed to be spoken to a bit harsher in order to hear him because right now it seemed like she couldn't hear a fucking word he said for no goddamn reason. "How long have you been playing keyboard?"

"A certain number of years."

"Okay, well... I guess that's good enough... How about her?"

"Ask her."

"I..." Scoffing, he motioned to the deaf ghuleh and said, "I can't. I don't know how to sign to her."

"Then I guess you can't ask."

Rolling his eyes, the Cardinal pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, shaking his head to dismiss the thought from his mind. "Alright, how about... how long have you been a ghuleh?"

"For a certain amount of time."

"Okay, but how _long_?"

"Some time now."

"Do you actively participate in the church?"

"Maybe."

"Do you partake in any events with the ghouls I've already signed?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Do you do anything? Anything at all?"

The lanky ghuleh sensed the shift in her girlfriend's posture and sat up, quickly nudging to her to get attention and sign, _'Is he bothering you?'_

As the Cardinal went on, the ghuleh rolled her eyes and nodded to the other. _'He is.'_

_'Flash him.'_

_'What?'_

_'Flash him. He'll shut up and sign you.'_

_'Are you okay with that?'_

Nodding, the deaf ghuleh leaned in and bumped their horns together again as a way of telling her that it was okay. It was something she did since it was intimate and better than just nodding. 

The curvy one smiled at the other before she reached up and began unbuttoning her vest. The Cardinal was too busy ranting to notice. 

He just wanted to know one thing about her, _one thing_ , that's it, that's all he was asking of her. Shit, it was just a normal question, it wasn't a fucking nuclear launch code, he just needed to know more about her and–

_Oh._

_Shit._

Suddenly, he was met with the sight of her chest in front of him. He blinked quickly and sat back in his chair, his face flushing and hands clenching into fists.

The silent ghuleh beside her covered her mouth then pointed to her girlfriend's breasts, giving the Cardinal a double thumbs up when they made eye contact. All he did was chuckle awkwardly and nod, forcing himself to look away. 

Alright. She had the guts for this. And he didn't want to fight anymore. She was in.

"Uh... Um, you– you're in," he stammered out pathetically. Grabbing his stamp, he looked at her breast before marking it, shooing her towards the door after. "Go– Go show that to Sister Imperator and–"

"Not so fast," the ghuleh said. She nodded towards her girlfriend and smirked, offering the other side of her chest to him. "Sign her, too."

The Cardinal couldn't fight. He didn't want to. He needed this kind of dominance in the band. 

Quickly, he stamped the other breast then waved towards the door again, keeping his eyes respectfully away from her as she buttoned her vest back up a bit. "Yes, uh... Yes, Air and... and Mist! Mist will be your name. I, hmm... Look forward to seeing you Saturday."

"Thank you, Sir," Mist said as she stood from her chair, "We appreciate it."

By then, the Cardinal was looking at her again even though he was blushing heavily. Air held up her hands in the shape of the heart and extended them towards the Cardinal, to which he bashfully did it back with a soft laugh. 

The two left and the Cardinal was left with the image of her chest still in his mind.


	6. 6. Multi

## 6\. Multi

There was one more position that needed filled and literally, it was the easiest position ever, but the Cardinal was being picky about it. Some ghouls caught his interest, but none jumped out at him. 

He was looking for the one. The Beyoncé of Destiny's Child. The Harry Styles of One Direction. The Adam Sandler of the Grown Ups movies. That's who he was looking for and he had yet to find it. 

It was the end of the night and he was tired. Beyond tired. Sister Imperator was getting on his nerves and he wanted to slam his head into the desk, but he didn't. He didn't because there was one last ghoul that had been waiting all day to meet with him. 

Finally, he sat down in the chair that so many others had sat in and the Cardinal didn't even bother to look at him at first. Instead, he picked at a loose thread on his jacket and twisted it around his finger. 

"I'm sorry for keeping you so late, but I... I would really like a shot at this band," the ghoul said. His voice was low but hopeful and his posture was different. The Cardinal still didn't look at him, though. Clearing his throat quietly and politely, the ghoul placed his neatly filled out resumé in its folder on the desk, sliding it to him as he spoke, "I, uh... I've been playing instruments for many years. Since I was a kid, actually. I've been very into music for as long as I can remember."

The Cardinal had heard this a million times, but shit. He had to look at him. 

And fuck. 

Oh _fuck_.

Goddamn, he was _different_.

The Cardinal froze for a moment as he looked at him and listened to him carefully go on about how he played guitar as a child and picked up percussive instruments along the way, but he actually didn't care about it. He just wanted to look at him because fuck. His eyes. 

He couldn't see his face, but he knew that he was beyond stunning. 

"You... Heh, _hello_ ," The Cardinal said as he extended his hand to the ghoul, "I'm sorry for being so rude, I've just had a long day."

"It's understandable, don't worry," he said with a soft laugh. When he shook the Cardinal's hand, he swore he saw his leader nearly shoot out of his seat. He didn't know why, but he was oblivious. He didn't know he was literally a god amongst men. Breaking the handshake, he went on, "I'd love to work with you, though. I... I really think I have something to offer."

"Oh, I think so, too," The Cardinal said in a daze. Even with the mask covering his face, he could tell that he was blushing. 

Oh fuck, they were both so gay. 

The Cardinal especially.

"How do you get along with others?" The Cardinal asked after a moment of prolonged eye contact, "Would you say that you work well to sort out creative differences?"

"I'd say so, yes. I understand that I won't agree with someone on everything and that's okay."

The Cardinal's expectations were literally on the fucking floor. Something as natural as that made him want to swoon. 

"That's amazing," he said softly, "That's... I love that. I love it." The ghoul chuckled and looked away, shrugging his shoulders as he mumbled something under his breath that the Cardinal didn't catch, but didn't call to his attention. "And... commitment? Are you good with committing to something? ...Not suicide."

The ghoul laughed from what he said, which is what he wanted. He fell into his trap. 

His laugh sounded like angels... wait, demons... no angels. Angels. His laugh was straight from Heaven and even someone as dark sided as Copia couldn't deny that.  

Shit. Maybe he believed in lighter powers now because of this man. 

"Aside from suicide, yes, I'm good at committing to things," the ghoul said with a nod, "You'll never have to worry about me slipping through the cracks with anything. I'm on top of things almost all the time whether it's music, schedules, events... anything. I'm a perfectionist."

The Cardinal just beamed at him. This man could play him in thousand different ways and at the end, no matter how much it hurt, he'd thank him. He'd fall to his knees in front of him and thank him because he was the most beautiful man he had ever met and nothing would ever change that. 

He was pathetic. A pathetic, desperate gay. 

What else did you expect, though? The dude wore a bedazzled grucifix, worked out to get people to ogle over his thighs, and he was known for smacking ghouls on the ass. He couldn't get much more flamboyant and obvious than that.

But damn. This ghoul was really bringing about something in him. 

An even gayer side.

"Would you be opposed to singing with me?" The Cardinal asked, quickly correcting himself when he realized that he probably sounded creepy, "As in backup vocals. Can you sing?"

"I can, yes. I know for a fact that my range is lower than yours, but I can sing higher too, if necessary."

"You're perfect. That's perfect. Thank you."

The ghoul laughed again and beamed a bright smile at him, one that made the Cardinal want to burst into tears because of how breathtaking it was. "You're cute. I'm open to doing most anything."

Now the Cardinal was smiling. He was grinning way too much, but he didn't even care to try and stop it. 

Throwback to when he had a breakdown in front of the ghulehs because he thought that he'd be alone forever. So much for that. This man felt like a goddamn godsend. 

But he wasn't weird. He wasn't going to jump down his throat and say that to him. He needed him in the band first. 

"Are you open to joining the band, then?" The Cardinal asked, "because if so, I'd be very, _very_ happy to have you."

"I'd love to join!" The ghoul said excitedly. 

Shit. Fireworks. Everywhere. Sparks were flying. The office was going to catch on fire at this point. 

The Cardinal chuckled as he stamped the ghoul's resumé not once, but twice because he was his favorite and he was hopelessly into him for no damn reason. He needed to do something about that before it got in the way of their new business relationship. 

"Welcome to Ghost, Multighoul," the Cardinal said with a snicker and a wink. He handed his folder back to him and nodded, smiling politely... but mostly because he couldn't stop grinning. "The first practice will be on Saturday. I'll be happy to see you there."

"I'm already looking forward to it." The ghoul stood up and grabbed the Cardinal's hand, holding it to his lips to kiss his knuckles before he whispered, "Buenas noches, Cardinal. Te veré pronto."

If the Cardinal wasn't already a puddle of gayness, he was then. He flushed red as Multi smiled bashfully then exited the office with his hands behind his back and his head held high. 

The Cardinal had a good feeling about this band. This lineup was going places.


End file.
